Meow
by DragonChild157
Summary: Robin invites the team to Gotham for a night on patrol, and things don't go as planned. After a run in with Klarion, they turn to Artemis for help. How the heck will she get them out of this one? And what is she going to tell her mother? Set in season 1 before Zatanna joined the team. Cannon pairings, though I'm not gonna focus on them.
1. Curiosity Kills The Cat

Hey guys! I'm taking on yet another story, because frankly I promised and I made said promise last year! So here is the first chapter. I can't guarantee on how fast updates will come, but I _will _do my best to make them quick and I _will _finish it!

**Boring Disclaimer:** _I do not own DC, Warner Brothers, or Cartoon Network (If I did this show would never have been cancelled and they would actually show quality tv shows, not this mindless drabble!) The minute I do, you'll all be the first to know! _

This story was inspired by the comic by Mouseleaf over on Deviant Art, and she was nice enough to let me play with the idea! I'll post the link to her one shot comic on my profile.

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ENJOY!

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"So how come Artemis isn't here?"

Robin looked up from his holo-computer and grinned at the speedster. "I already _told _you Wally! She's in Star City working a case with Green Arrow! Otherwise she _would've_ been here!"

The redheaded speedster grumbled, but made no other comment. He flopped back down on the wall edging the building rooftop.

Despite his proclaimed dislike for the blonde Archer, he'd come to enjoy the back and forth 'bickering' between them.

Robin's head suddenly jerked up. "They're here!"

Wally looked up in surprise. "What?"

"You really _can't_ sneak up on him can you?"

Wally turned around, startled, as Conner climbed up the fire escape. Kaldur was right behind him, a small amused smile playing around the Atlantian's lips.

"You too M'Gann." Robin added, going back to his holo-computer.

M'Gann came out of stealth mode, grinning from ear to ear. To Conner she added, "I told you! Even I can't sneak up on him!"

Wally snorted. "Dude, Rob's a _bat!_ No one, absolutely _no one_ sneaks up on a bat!"

Conner shook his head. "Why do we always meet on rooftops when we come to Gotham?"

"Again, because Rob's a bat, it's kind of an instinct by this point." Wally answered ruffling said boy wonder's hair affectionately and earning a playful swipe in response. He suddenly grinned as Kaldur and Conner took a seat on the wall beside him. "Well, since we're all here let's get moving!"

Robin cackled and nodded, shutting off his computer and jumping to his feet. "Right! Ok guys, operation 'Play Date' is now in effect!"

* * *

"Tell me, how is it you talked the Batman into allowing us patrol with you tonight?" Kaldur asked, jumping from one rooftop to the next beside the diminutive ninja.

Robin laughed, landing and turning a cartwheel as he did before continuing his run. "I didn't! That's the beauty of it! Batman had things to do in his civilian identity, so Agent 'A' and I arranged a 'play date'!"

Wally tripped and nearly fell. "Batman doesn't know about this? Dude, I've got no problem doing stuff behind the league's back but Gotham is 'Bat' territory! No one horns in on you guys unless they want to have a good long chat with a doctor!"

Robin rolled his eyes at his friend. "We're not _that_ bad!"

Wally snorted. "Says you! Last time Green Arrow came here uninvited he went home with a broken arm!"

Kaldur stopped running, giving Robin a surprised look as the other's pulled up and came back. "Is your mentor truly so protective of his city that he would injure his comrades for violating the boundaries of that territory?"

Robin shook his head. "Yes and no. Gotham _is_ our city, and we _do_ get a little territorial, but Green Arrow getting hurt was his own fault. You don't hurt Isis in front of Cat Woman unless you've got a death wish!"

Conner cocked his head curiously. "Who's Isis?"

Robin grinned. "Isis is Cat Woman's favorite cat. She'll deny it and say she loves her cat's equally, but you can tell. Isis is her special favorite." He started running again and the team followed him.

Robin laughed, turning cartwheels and somersaults across the roof tops as he went.

"As it is, Batman _does_ know. He wasn't very keen on the idea, but he caved after Agent 'A' pointed out that I hadn't been allowed out as Robin in over a week and I was starting to get Cabin fever. Better to let me out of the house to patrol with you guys than risk me sneaking out on my own."

M'Gann gave Robin a shocked look. "You'd sneak out against Batman's orders?"

He grinned up at the Martian girl flying overhead. "Nah, probably not. Not after a _week_ at any rate! I'd have to be pretty desperate to sneak out on my own, cause that is a historically bad move. I got kidnapped by the Riddler last time I pulled that stunt."

Wally laughed. "I remember that!... Hey Rob, what's yellow, slippery, and writes?"

Robin groaned. "God Wally, don't even go there!"

"A ball point banana!" Wally crowed, completely ignoring his friends request and the looks of death the bird was now shooting in his direction.

"Ok that's it!" Robin yelled and tackled his friend from behind, loosing one of his signature cackles as he did.

The two rolled forward across the roof several feet, laughing as they playfully wrestled. It ended with Wally cuffed to an antenna by his ankle with a bat-cuff, and Robin crouching on top of said antenna to stay out of the speedster's reach.

A warning beep from his computer ended the fracas. Still laughing Robin tossed the key down to Wally and brought up his holo-computer.

Wally shook his head up at the bird. "Of course ya know this means war!" he teased, unlocking the cuff around his ankle.

Robin cast a grin down at him. "Be vewy vewy quiet, or I'll get you yet you wascally speedster!" he answered.

Off to one side he heard Conner murmur something to M'Gann about actually _getting _that reference.

The bird chuckled, running his eye over the readouts on his screen and sighed. "Sadly, the war's gonna have to wait till later. I'm reading a break-in at the Gotham Museum of History."

Kaldur came to stand under the antenna. "Do you have any indication of who it might be?"

"Umm…" The boy wonder's fingers flew across the holographic keyboard, eyes fixed on the strings of code streaming across the screen. "Sorry, the museums cyber security is good. It'd take me five minutes to get their security footage, and we can be there in less than three. That's the building right over there." He pointed off to his right at a tall domed building.

Kaldur nodded. "Very well. Lead the way."

* * *

Klarion the Witch Kid grinned, carefully lifting his prize from its glass case.

The raven haired boy had gotten turned around in the dark and it had taken him several minutes to find the correct display case. A few moments more to recite the spell that would allow him to take the gemstone without setting off the alarm. But he had it now!

He'd done it!

Beside him his cat familiar mewed, giving him a baleful glare with red gemstone eyes. The best description anyone had ever been able to give was that the cat was an orange and white tabby, the brown stripes in it's pelt shaped like arcane symbols.

He gave it an exasperated look. Honestly sometimes Teekl was too much!

"I know, I know! But it would only take a _second_!"

"And that's a second you don't have!"

The demon of chaos whirled, surprise written all over his face. He'd thought he'd avoided all the silent alarms! The young justice team had fanned out in a semi-circle behind him, cutting off his retreat. He closed his hand more tightly around his pilfered prize.

Beside him, Teekl mewed again.

"I _know _you told me so, don't rub it in!" he grumbled at his cat.

Kid Flash shook his head. "I don't know what's weirder, the fact that he went to all this trouble for one little ruby the size of a ping pong ball, or the fact that he talks to that mangy old cat of his!"

Klarion glared at them, calling his power forth to surround his hands. Though not physically imposing in his shape as a boney teenager with paper white skin and black hair, the demon of chaos was still a force to be reckoned with. The fiery red glow of his power welling round his spidery fingers was all to visible proof of that.

Robin rolled his eyes at Wally. "You just _had _to make the mangy cat comment didn't you?"

Wally held up his hands. "What? I hate cats! Cats are probably the most annoying animals on the face of the planet! Right up there with those stupid pigeons in New York!"

Klarion's eyes suddenly shifted to red and he gave an enraged shriek. No one insulted Teekl except him! How dare this insignificant little peon call his familiar a stupid mangy cat!

With an angry scream he sent bolt after bolt of his fiery red power crackling through the air at the team, that one in the yellow costume in particular!

The team scattered, narrowly evading the demon's angry blasts as they leapt up into the air or dove behind the museums many columns and display cases.

**_Well, that was a spectacularly bad idea... _**Robin commented drily over the psychic link.

M'Gann frowned. **_Isn't that usually Artemis' line when Wally does something stupid? _**She asked from her place behind a plaster statue near the ceiling.

Robin grinned and nodded. **_Artemis knew she probably wouldn't be able to make it tonight since this 'play date' was supposed to end around twelve, so she asked me to yell at Wally for her. _**

**_Hey! You act like it's a given I'm going to do or say something stupid. _**Wally fussed from behind a column, glaring at the rest of his teammates as they took cover from Klarion's blasts.

There was a very long moment of silence as the rest of the team starred at each other in apparent confusion before returning their gazes to the speedster.

**_Isn't it? _**They all chorused in unison, grinning from ear to ear.

Wally groaned and face palmed. **_…forget I said anything…_**

**_Already forgotten KF. _**Robin answered grimly. **_Kaldur, got any ideas?_**

**_When I fought him with Fate, we scared him off by beating on his cat. It's some kind of anchor or something, just like Fate's helmet. _**Wally offered.

Kaldur nodded. **_If we provide a distraction, could you apprehend the animal? _**He asked Wally.

The speedster peeked out from behind his column. **_Yeah, I can get it. But if I get scratched I am _totally_ blaming you guys._**

**_Just do it already!_** Conner growled.

Robin loosed his trademark cackle and leapt from his hiding place, giving Klarion a moving target. Still laughing, he childishly stuck his tongue out at the demon of chaos before darting into the shadows again.

Then it was Kaldur's turn.

Wally watched carefully and when he judged the timing right, he made a run for it. He pushed himself to go as fast as he could, running past columns and display cases and Klarion himself. But when he tried to stop he found himself sliding across the museum's tile floor!

He made a desperate grab for the cat as he slid past, actually managing to snag it before he slammed into a wall.

Teekl gave an angry howl, hissing and scratching at the teenager who had caught him. Klarion whirled, eyes widening in shock when he realized his cat had been captured.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Dang it, stop scratching me you stupid cat!" Wally hollered, trying to pin the cat's legs as he got to his feet.

Teekl responded by biting him.

Klarion's eyes seemed to become an even brighter shade of red. "You wanna pick on a poor, defenseless kitty cat?" he screeched. "Let's see how you like it!"

The demon of chaos threw his hands up into the air, the ruby he had risked so much to steal held in the thumb and forefinger of each hand. He was rapidly chanting some sort of spell or other.

With one final, shouted word, the ruby glowed to life with a fire of its own. Red lighting shot from the stone, engulfing each teenager in it's light and energy.

They screamed and fell to their hands and knees, Wally dropping the cat. It was rather a harsh fall for Robin and M'Gann, as M'Gann had been flying and Robin had been perched on top of a statue.

Luckily for Robin, Conner broke his fall.

The team curled into the fetal position, unable to fight the blinding pain tearing at their senses. It seemed to last forever and only a few seconds, the pain skewing their sense of time. When it finally stopped, they continued to lay there gasping, to stunned to move.

Standing above his fallen enemies, Klarion smiled.

He slowly lowered his hands and tucked the ruby in his pocket, his eyes returning to their normal dark color. Teekl came up beside him and gave a quiet, questioning mew. When the demon of chaos held out his arms, the cat was more than happy to jump up into them.

He mewed again.

Klarion grinned. "Don't you worry, I punished them good." He promised, stroking the cat's fur in an affectionate way he would deny if anyone pointed it out. He turned and pointed to where that insufferable cat hater Kid Flash lay.

"See?"

The cat's gaze followed where he pointed, and after a moment's scrutiny it meowed again, as though satisfied.

* * *

Wally groaned.

His whole body hurt, as if he'd challenged Conner to a sparring match and lost. He tried to get up, but his limbs would barely obey him.

They felt as if they'd been turned to jelly.

He could hear Klarion talking to that stupid cat of his somewhere nearby, but he didn't really pay attention to it.

Until he heard those chilling words.

"Well, what are you waiting for Teekle? He's awake, go take your revenge."

* * *

DUN! Dun! dun! Oh the suspense! Lol, I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can, I promise! And Mouseleaf, I hope I make you proud dear!

Review!

Until next time...


	2. Cat Fight

You ask for chapter two, I give you chapter two!

Shout outs to the amazing: Dixie Grayson, DoggieFanNumber1, and Aly Marton! Cookies to all of you! (::)

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ENJOY!

* * *

"Well, what are you waiting for Teekle? He's awake, go take your revenge."

**_Oh, that's _****so****_ not a good thing! _**

Wally frantically forced his eyes open, his jellied limbs and rubbery neck giving only a slight response. He'd only just managed to slide his head a little to one side, turning it enough to see the demon and that danged cat of his out of the one bleary eye not pressed into the floor.

The arcane orange cat silently hopped down from his master's arms, demonic red eyes fixed with unerring intensity on Wally. Tail flicking languidly back and forth, the cat slowly made it's way towards the downed speedster, a predatory look in his eyes.

**_Um, guys? I seriously hope you're in better shape than I am, 'cause that creepy cat is coming right at me and I can't move! _**Wally thought, frantically trying to get his limbs to move. Horror filled him when none of them answered.

Had they been hurt? Or was the psychic link down?

Maybe both?

Across the room, the rest of the teens were having much the same difficulty.

Conner gritted his teeth, forcing himself to rise. His body was stronger than the others, he could take harder hits than them and keep moving.

He raised his head, just barely able to see Klarion and the tail of that orange cat over the edge of the dais, but he couldn't see Wally. He forced himself farther, up onto his hands and knees, then to his feet.

He dimly registered something sliding off of his shoulders, but he paid it no attention, assuming it was simply one of the exhibits that had probably fallen on him. He tumbled back down to the floor on his hands and knees.

**_What? _**He wondered, actually taking the time to look at himself.

A few feet away, Robin forced his head to turn so that he could look for his teammates. There was something heavy on top of him, pinning him down.

His eyes widened in shock. "Conner? You're…."

"It appears we have been transformed into cats."Kaldur stated calmly. He appeared to be taking the new turn in events quite well.

The Atlantian hadn't quite managed to get himself up on his feet yet, but he was propped up on his elbows, a pool of red and blue fabric surrounding him. His costume.

His unique grey eyes were fixed on Conner. "We are alright for the moment. Please help Wally, we will continue to rally our own strength and join you as soon as possible."

The clone nodded and raced away towards where he'd last seen Wally. It took him a couple moments to get the hang of running on four limbs instead of two, but he didn't slow, there was no time! He bounded clumsily up the steps and on across the raised dais, past Klarion and straight for that dusky orange and white cat.

The first thing Teekle knew of the attack was the sudden smack of a solidly muscled young tom landing on his back.

Conner yowled, batting at the much larger tabby's head with his paws. Aside from annoying him, it didn't seem to affect Teekle in the slightest. He leapt off the cat, hurrying to place himself between Teekle and the young orange cat that was Wally, tangled up in a massive puddle of yellow and red fabric that was his uniform.

**_I hit him as hard as I could and it didn't make a dent. _**He thought to the others, crouching lower to the floor. There was no answer. He glanced back at the bright orange cat behind him.

Wally nodded, recognizing the confused look in Conner's eyes. "Psychic link's down." He mewed, emerald eyes wide and terrified."Are the other's ok?"

Conner nodded, deep blue eyes returning to glare at the huge tabby pompously making his way closer. "They're all right, but I think our powers are gone." He answered grimly. "I hit that cat as hard as I could and it just seemed to annoy him more than anything."

"You're in over your heads little kittens." Teekle hissed, his hackles slowly raising to make him look even larger. "And now you will pay the price!"

Conner barred his teeth, his own hackles rising out of instinct. "Not on my watch."

"Nor ours."

Teekle whipped around with an angry hiss, surprised to see to more young cats race past his master's ankles to come stand at the side of the coal black cat who was defying him.

One was a strong Siamese tom with grey eyes, dark eel shaped markings running along his shoulders and forelegs. The other was a young queen, a brown tabby with white on her face, chest, and paws.

All three cats had ranged themselves in between him and the one he wanted to get at most. That brilliant orange tabby with green gemstone eyes.

M'Gann glanced back at her friend. "Are you alright?" she meowed, careful not to use his name in front of Teekle and Klarion.

Wally finally managed to force himself up onto shaky paws, his drooping ears and tail clear indications of his condition. "I'll be alright…I think." He glared past his friends at Teekle and Klarion. "What did you do to us?"

"Just what you deserved." Klarion chortled, his tone nasty as he gleefully tossed and caught the ruby he'd worked so hard to steal. "The spell's permanent by the way." He added as an afterthought. "That'll teach you."

Teekle glared at him. "Annoying windbag." He meowed.

Wally snorted. "You know, I actually agree with you."

Klarion glared at the two orange tabbies. Maybe turning them into cats hadn't been his best idea ever. "Well? What are you waiting for Teekle?" he growled, tucking the ruby away in a pocket again. "Tear them apart so we can get going!"

Teekle starred at the feline teens, his whiskers lifting up into a malicious smile. "As you say…"

After all, it wasn't as if these young kittens could hurt him now!

With a yowl, he threw himself at them, teeth bared and claws outstretched. Annoyingly enough, that black tom that used to be the Super Boy jumped up right in front of him and took the brunt of his attack.

Conner yowled. Without his invulnerability, Teekle's claws were tearing into him with devastating effect. He turned on the massive tabby, hitting and kicking at Teekle with his paws. It didn't seem to do any good.

M'Gann, Kaldur, and Wally didn't seem to be having any better luck.

A feline screech hit his ears and Conner froze, dark blue eyes searching out the source of the screech. M'Gann hissed angrily as she backed away from Teekle, a scratch on her shoulder beginning to bleed. Conner gave an angry howl and threw himself at Teekle yet again.

How _dare_ he hurt M'Gann!

"Hurry up Teekle!" Klarion called impatiently. Normally he'd enjoy watching Teekle beat up the justice babies, but not tonight. He could hear sirens outside, and the calls of the cops down the hall.

They were running out of time!

Off to one side there was a loud crash and an alarm bell started ringing. The witch kid whirled.

A battle axe lay squarely planted in the padding on the bottom of a display case for various gemstones, broken glass littered all around it. Standing on the wrist of the suit of armor that had held it, was the Siamese cat that had once been Aquaman's brat.

Kaldur's unique grey eyes narrowed. "I would advise you to take your cat and flee while you still may. The alarm will soon summon the police here. Perhaps the Batman as well."

Klarion glared wrathfully at the cat before quickly gathering up Teekle and disappearing into the depths of a spell. In an instant, he was gone as if he had never been there.

Kaldur flicked his tail, uncertain, then leapt clumsily down from the arm of the medieval knight armor. He didn't like letting the villain get away with his prize, but it had seemed to be the only option.

He and his team were in no condition to combat the demon of chaos and, as Robin had stated earlier, Batman had duties as a civilian this evening and would not be able to help. He shook his head.

He didn't have much experience with the Gotham police force, but he doubted they would've been able to handle Klarion.

"Are you alright my friends?" he asked as he approached.

The others nodded, giving him grateful smiles. Himself included, all four of them had taken hits from Teekle's claws. Conner seemed to have taken the hardest beating.

All four…

Kaldur suddenly frowned, ears flicking back worriedly in his distress.

"Where is Robin?"

* * *

It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's the dreaded CLIFF HANGER!

Review, or else...(evil grin)

Until next time...


	3. Of Cats and Curtains

Hey guys, sorry for the wait, life happened. Super short chapter today compared to my normal chapters. (cowers in fear) Please don't hurt me! I'll try to do better next time! Oh and if anyone likes to see Wally abused, check out my new story Brother Bird, Wally gets the spit kicked out of him.

Shout outs to: DoggieFanNummber1, Snowdevil The Awesome, Dixie Grayson, Seven Silences, Ally Marton, Immaworkin, and Bloodbath14 you guys make me truaght! Cyber cookies to all of you! (::)

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ENJOY!

* * *

"Robin?"

He was still laying in his puddle of costume, exactly where they'd seen him last. He hadn't moved an inch.

"Robin, are you alright?" M'Gann asked worriedly.

The small cat flicked his ears back. After a moment he slowly, almost nervously, lifted his head. Galaxy blue eyes met theirs, and it was with a start that most of them realized they'd never seen his eyes before.

Wally had, but he was careful to pretend surprise.

"I'm stuck." Robin mewed in a small voice.

His friends frowned, perplexed.

"Wait, what?" Wally cocked his head, walking around his friend in confusion. "Dude, how are you stuck?"

Robin glared at him. "Do you realize how _heavy_ Kevlar is? I don't wear _half_ as much as Batman does, it cuts down on my mobility, but it's still more than a _cat _can lift! I _can't move_!"

Wally burst out in the cat version of laughter. "You've gotta be _kidding_ me!" he meowed.

Robin glared at him, whatever black fur not pinned by his uniform standing on end in his annoyance. "Just help me out! We've gotta get out of here before the police get here!"

M'Gann cocked her head, watching as the three boys did their best to lift open the uniform enough to release their youngest. "Why? We were trying to stop Klarion, not help him. The police can't be mad at us for trying to help them, why should we be afraid?"

Robin shook his head, wiggling out of the neck of his costume and casting a grateful look to the boys. "It's not the police I'm worried about! It's the animal control workers they're going to hand us over to if we get caught! Klarion understood our meowing, but somehow I just _don't_ think the police will."

As if on cue, several officers entered the room, guns and flashlights sweeping the area. They quickly discovered the broken display case and the discarded costumes.

Then they saw the cats.

One officer shook his head, holstering his gun. "Darn cats, always knocking things over and making a mess of things."

One of the others gaped, taking in the damage to walls, floor, and ceiling where Klarion had tried to blast the team. "You think a bunch of cats did all _this_?"

The first officer shrugged and grabbed his radio. "Yeah, dispatch? We need animal control down here at the museum. I got about…" he paused, pointing to each cat as he silently counted them. "..ah, looks t'be about five cats here."

"Man, can you really _call_ it!" Wally mewed, backing away as several officers came nearer, intent on catching the cats that had caused so much damage.

Kaldur craned his neck, searching for an exit. "Klarion damaged one of the windows during the fight." He called. "We could escape through there."

"And do _what?"_ Wally yowled back, hastily dodging the hands now trying to grab him. "I doubt the league'll be able to make much more sense out of cat sounds than these guys! And it's not even like we could use our com links anyway!...does anyone even know where those _went_?"

"There is no time for debate!" Kaldur yelled back, hissing defensively at one of the officers. "We will cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, _move_!"

The team needed no more urging.

All five cat's bolted for the broken window Kaldur had pointed out, darting in and out and around the legs of their would be captors.

Not surprisingly, Wally got to the wall first. Even without his powers, the kid er…cat was pretty fast!

He tried to jump up onto the sill, a good ways straight above his head, and failed miserably. A similar jump provided the same result.

"Scratch _that_ plan!" he mewed to the others.

Robin shook his head. "No! Scratch that _curtain_! Use your claws and climb right up and out!"

Conner stared at them in confusion. "What claws?"

Robin froze, galaxy blue eyes darting from his teammates to the police coming at them. Conner, M'Gann, and Kaldur all looked like they didn't seem to have a clue what he was talking about.

"_All_ cats have claws! See?" He held out a paw, clenching it so that the claws slipped out of their sheaths. "Just clench you fingers like you're going to scratch something and they come right out. _Now move_!"

"Like this!" Wally called. He clumsily scrambled up the curtain onto the sill, turning and looking anxiously down at them. "Hurry!"

Conner anxiously pushed M'Gann toward the curtains, dark blue eyes watching the oncoming police. "M'Gann, go! _Go_!"

She didn't argue, scrambling hastily up the drapes after Wally. Conner, Robin, and Kaldur weren't far behind.

They ducked through the broken window panes and out onto the sill outside, and from there it was a short jump down to the shrubbery butting up against this side of the museum. They were safe!

For the moment at any rate...

* * *

Like I said, sorry for the short chapter I'm kinda strapped for time.

Review please! Or else I'll give them all hairballs! Mwahahahahaha! (runs off into the night laughing like a maniac)

Until next time...


	4. What Now

Grr... Sorry for the wait. I cant seem to write long chapters for this story (angrily fumes). Anyway, hope you guys enjoy! And if you have any comments, questions, concerns, or ideas I am more than happy to listen!

Shout outs to: DoggieFanNumber1 (ironic username to be seen in a fic about cats!), AthenaKeene, ZigZaggy, BraveChicken, and Immaworkin.

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ENJOY!

* * *

"This way." Robin mewed softly. He slunk silently from the bushes, his black and white fur blending almost effortlessly with the patchy shadows cast by the clouds scudding over the moon.

The others weren't nearly so stealthy, Wally's bright orange fur and quick darting movements making him stand out like a Christmas tree.

Robin lead them a short distance away to a massive statue of a man on a horse. "I think we'll be safe here for the moment." He mewed. "This pedestal is hollow, so we've got somewhere to run if we need it."

The others nodded, and then they actually took the time to scrutinize each other in the glow of the spotlights illuminating the statue.

Not surprisingly, Wally had been turned into a lanky, bright orange tabby with gemstone green eyes. He paced anxiously from side to side, those emerald eyes a little bit wider than they should've been, though whether that was fear or adrenalin they couldn't be sure.

Conner, also not surprisingly, had been changed into a jet black cat with dark blue eyes and a bright pink nose that stood out starkly against his dark fur. Whereas Wally was lanky, possessing the body of a runner, Conner was broader in the chest and more heavily muscled. He had the build of a stocky adolescent, and was a bit taller than Wally as well.

M'Gann was shorter than the two of them, with more of a delicate, feminine build to her. Her fur was brown, the darker brown stripes that marked her as a tabby coating her liberally. Large amounts of white marked her cheeks and muzzle, coated her chest and belly, and covered her paws like mittens. Her eyes were the same pretty warm brown as always.

Kaldur seemed to have struck a happy medium between Wally's build and Conner's, muscular, but not stocky. He had the pale grey gold fur and dark brown markings of a Siamese cat, but he lacked their bone thin form. Dark grayish black fur in the shape of his sorcerer's eel tattoos marked his forelegs and shoulders. Of all of them, he seemed to be taking the transformation the best, his unique grey eyes quiet and calm.

Naturally Robin was the smallest, possessing a slender, almost effeminate build. Of all of them, he looked the most like a kitten. His fur was matte black, and unlike Conner's it wasn't shiny, reflecting back no light at all. He had touches of white on the tip of his tail, his muzzle, and where his eyebrows would be if he were human. And those galaxy blue eyes stood out a mile, his tail flicking nervously as he eyed his teammates.

"How come his tattoos stayed?" Conner meowed, eyeing the dark markings in Kaldur's fur.

Kaldur looked down at the eel shaped marking's on his forelegs. "Unlike our uniforms, they are a part of me. Also, because they are sorcerer's tattoos, they have some magic of their own. They cannot be removed completely."

"So um…. What do we do now?" Wally asked uncertainly, continuing his pacing.

Kaldur cocked his head at the younger cat. "The most prudent move would be to seek out help in its nearest form." He said calmly. To Robin he asked, "How far away would your mentor be? Of all the league, I believe he would be the quickest to understand."

Robin pulled his whiskers back in a grimace. "Not near enough. And where he is, it'd be _really_ hard to get to him there." He laughed. "Though the look on his face when he gets swarmed by five teenage cats would be priceless! The first thought in his head would probably be Cat Woman!"

He paused, appearing thoughtful. "She wouldn't be a bad bet for help either, but she's out of town."

Conner cocked his head, confused. "I thought Cat Woman was a bad guy er…girl."

Robin grinned. "Officially she is, but she's been known to help us out in the past when it was for a good cause and or concerned a feline of some type. Our situation would probably qualify us for her help, but again, like I said she's out of town.

M'Gann took a step forward, interjecting herself into the conversation. "What about the zeta tubes? We could zeta back to Mount Justice and get help there!"

Kaldur nodded thoughtfully. "That would seem to be our best option." He answered. "Robin, how far is the zeta tube from here?"

"Less than an hour's walk." He answered without hesitation, flicking his tail again. "Maybe a little longer, we'll wanna take this slow. Gotham city streets are no place to be after nightfall."

The others starred at him, confused. They'd just spent most of their evening on the streets and rooftops of Gotham, why was Robin afraid _now_?

Seeing their looks, Robin sighed and ducked his head. "It was different before." He said softly, answering their unspoken question. "You don't have your powers anymore."

Wally glared at him. "Dude! Since when did powers matter? You don't have any powers, and you've been running around Gotham since you were _eight!_"

Robin matched him glare for glare, almost nose to nose with the much taller tom cat. "It _matters_ Wally!" he yowled angrily.

"Why?" Wally yowled right back.

"Because _you've_ never had to fight _without_ them!"

Wally opened his mouth to argue and stopped, all motion stopping for the first time since he'd been changed. He wasn't pacing, his ears were still, and his tail no longer swung back and forth.

"That is enough." Kaldur growled sternly, stepping between the two younger cats. He looked to Wally. "His concern is a valid one. We do rely heavily on our powers, however.." and here he looked to Robin. "_You_ underestimate us as well. We do rely on our powers, but we are not entirely helpless without them, as our training with Black Canary has shown. We appreciate your concern. But please, trust us to be able to look out for ourselves."

Robin winced, ears flicking back at the gentle reprimand. "I'm sorry." He mewed after a moment. "You're right, I shouldn't have freaked out. Definitely not traught. Sorry Wall's."

Wally smiled and batted lightly at Robin's shoulder with his paw. "It's alright."

"Don't worry Robin, we'll be fine." M'Gann meowed reassuringly, Conner nodding in agreement.

Robin smiled. "Ok." He turned and trotted towards the shadows. "The zeta tubes are this way." He paused and glanced back, still clearly nervous for them. "Stay close, ok?"

Kaldur nosed their youngest member reassuringly. "We will not fall behind." He promised. "Lead the way."

* * *

Yay, so...yeah chapter posted, now it's off to paint class to work on my (sh**y) landscape. Got a poll for this story up on my profile so check it out and give me you input!

Review! Or I'll give them hairballs!

Until next time...


	5. I AM CALM!

OMG! Sorry guys, I really didn't mean to make you wait so long!

Shout out's to (omg there's a lot of you! So happy!): Stronger123, DoggieFanNumber1, AthenaKeene, BraveChicken, BrightPath2, DixieGrayson, Immaworkin', and Ally Marton! You guys are amazing! Enjoy your cookies! (looks nervously at cookie tray) If you guys keep this up I'm gonna have to start making bigger batches of cookies! (::)

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ENJOY!

* * *

Robin eyed the dark alleys ahead of them warily.

It had taken them a little over an hour to traverse the streets of Gotham to reach the zeta tubes, just like he'd said. He could hear his friends in the shadows behind him and he wanted to roll his eyes at all the noise they were making.

Honestly, it was a sad day indeed when the quietest one out of the bunch was the clone with anger management issues!

If he'd had to guess at who would take this the best, he would've pegged M'Gann because she was a shape shifter. But with the loss of her psychic abilities, and the option of choosing what form she wore, M'Gann had panicked a little.

Wally was constantly tripping over his two extra legs.

Conner seemed to be having trouble similar to Wally's in coordinating his limbs. He didn't seem to be panicking yet, but then again Robin wasn't even sure the clone knew the meaning of the word 'panic'.

After all, when programming a weapon, do you _want _them to know the meaning of words like that?

And now that the shock of it had worn off a little, even Kaldur was slipping a little. He appeared to be maintaining his calm with a supreme effort of will at the moment.

And Robin...

A small smile curled his lips as he silently motioned them forward with his paw, telling them it was alright to come out after him.

Robin was pretty sure he might need therapy after this.

Wally just would _not_ shut up!

"How much farther Rob?" Wally whined as he came up behind the younger black cat.

Robin rolled his eyes. He hadn't thought cats _could_ whine, but somehow Wally managed it. It was quite the novel sound! "Seriously? Could you be any louder? I don't think Cat Woman heard you all the way out in _California_!"

Wally cocked his head. "Cat Woman's in California?"

Robin nodded, slinking forward out of the shadows. "Yeah. The Wayne Foundation is setting up a nature preserve out there and she's all hands on because of the big cat's it'll be protecting."

Wally smirked. "Wayne Enterprises?"

Robin nodded, pointedly ignoring the insinuation. "Yeah, you know, major force for progress here in Gotham? They've got a big tower in the middle of the city with their name on it and everything." He flicked his tail dismissively and nodded toward the old telephone booth that disguised the zeta tubes. "And as to your other question, the zeta tube is approximately six feet that-a-way."

"Well done." Kaldur said, slipping past him to eye the phone booth doors. "Come. We will need to work together to open the doors."

The cats silently lined up in front of the door and placed their front paws against it, for all the world looking like the cat version of a prison line up.

"On three." Robin mewed. The others nodded. "One. Two. Three!"

All five cats pushed, and the door grudgingly slid open a little. Two more concerted efforts on their part had it open wide enough for them to slip inside.

"At least we don't have to wait our turns to go one at a time." Wally meowed.

Robin chuckled. "Right!"

They waited several minutes, ears and tails flicking in growing anxiety when nothing happened.

Conner cocked his head, gazing up at the walls and ceiling of the decrepit old phone booth. "You sure this is the right phone booth?"

Robin gave him a mini version of the Bat glare, which was somewhat dulled considering it was coming from a small black kitten. "I'm_ sure_." He growled.

"Maybe the zeta tube network is offline?" M'Gann offered.

Robin shook his head. "No. When the network goes down the doors lock. To anyone not in on the scam, it looks like the hinges have rusted."

Wally was beginning to look decidedly twitchy as he anxiously paced back and forth inside the phone booth. "Then what's wrong? Why isn't it working?"

That, more than anything, showed how worried Wally really was. Generally he was their go to guy on all questions scientific in nature.

"Because we are not as we were." Kaldur answered grimly. "The zeta tubes are designed to recognize our specific DNA and biometrics, if I understood correctly when it was explained to me. We are cats now, no longer possessing a human form."

Wally went to throw up his hands then realized that (a) said hands were paws and (b) he needed those paws to stand on! "Well that's just _great_! Now what do we do?"

Kaldur's grey eyes narrowed. "We will start by remaining calm…" he answered, pointedly eyeing the brilliant orange tabby.

The comment flew right over Wally's head. Flicking his tail in annoyance, Kaldur moved to place himself directly in Wally's path, preventing him from pacing.

Wally tried to go around him, ears laying back irritably when Kaldur moved to prevent him. He turned to try and go back the other way to find Robin behind him, tag-teaming with Kaldur.

"Dude, what is your problem?" he yowled angrily at the two of them.

Kaldur laid his own ears back, tail lashing the air. The team was finding that the Atlantian was more expressive in this feline form. "Wally, you must remain calm…"

"I AM CALM!"

All motion ceased as the others stared at him. Kaldur flicked an ear forward and cocked his head ever so slightly, the cat equivalent of a raised eyebrow.

"Indeed?"

Robin rubbed his head against Wally's shoulder reassuringly, smiling at the somewhat weirded out expression on his best friend's face. Mission accomplished. "Dude, you are _so _not 'whelmed'."

Wally sighed and lowered his head. "Seems like this is everyone's night to panic huh?"

Robin grinned and shrugged. "Meh, I'll fall apart later. Someone's gotta keep your head screwed on straight."

Wally chuckled. "Right…" he looked to Kaldur. "So…what do we do now?"

Kaldur's face became grim. "It would seem we have no choice but to seek out the Batman. Unless anyone else can think of an alternative…?"

Wally suddenly perked up and looked at Robin. "Hey Rob, what about Agent A? He'd be more than happy to help us out, wouldn't he?"

Robin rolled his eyes. "And feed you cookies while he's at it right?" The chagrined look on Wally's face was answer enough. Robin sighed, as if he had the most depressing of news to impart. "Wall's? I was really hoping we could get you back to normal before I had to tell you this, but… Dude, you can't _have _chocolate. It's toxic to cats and dogs…Agent A's cookies would kill you."

"WHAT?!"

Wally visibly wilted. First he'd been changed into a cat, and now he couldn't have chocolate? This was a whole new level of torture, giving new meaning to the words 'cruel and unusual punishment'.

"Chocolate hurts cats and dogs?" Conner asked, cocking his head in confusion.

Robin winced and nodded. "Yeah, I learned that the hard way. Cat Woman caught me trying to feed one of her cats when I was first starting out as Robin." He snorted. "Batman thought I was kidnapped. You should've seen the look on his face when he found out it was just a two hour long lecture on the nuances of a cat's diet!"

"What about this Agent A?" M'Gann asked. "Could we get his help?"

Robin shook his head, flicking his tail in frustration. "No. If anything, he's farther away than Batman. Batman's clear across Gotham, and Leslie's about the same distance in the opposite direction. It's six one and half dozen the other."

Kaldur cocked his head. " Leslie?"

Robin nodded. "She's an old friend of the Bat Family. She was there the night the Batman was born. She…" he trailed off, sudden realization dawning. A sudden smile lit his face. "But the Crock home is closer, and I know we have a friend there. She'd be our best bet tonight, she's close and we'll have a better shot of getting her to understand."

Kaldur nodded. "Very well. Lead the way."

Robin nodded, turning and trotting back the way they'd come. "This way."

The other's quickly followed him. After a moment, Wally picked up his pace so that he was loping along beside Robin.

"Hey Rob, where's this 'Crock' home you're talking about? And who's this friend we supposedly have there? I don't think you've ever mentioned her before."

Robin grinned. "You know her Wall's, you just didn't realize she lived here in Gotham." He answered, purposefully being cryptic.

After Green Arrow introduced his mysterious 'niece' to the team, Robin had been putting the legendary detective skills of the dynamic duo to use in an effort to satisfy both curiosity and the equally notorious bat paranoia which demanded he know everything he could about both his friends _and_ enemies.

His search had turned up a good deal.

Her name, the names (and aliases) of her family members, her school, her grades…everything he could get his cyber fingers on.

In amongst all that had been the home address of Paula Crock and her daughter Artemis.

Artemis had kept her identity secret from them, and as she was a friend, he had respected her wishes as much as the bat paranoia would allow- learning what he could but keeping what he knew a secret. He hated to out her but, really, in an emergency like this did they have any other choice?

Wally gave him an irritated look. "Who?"

Robin's grin widened, this might prove to be somewhat fun after all. "You'll see…"

* * *

Again, sorry sorry sorry for not posting sooner. Good news is I'm now out of school for the summer so hopefully I'll have more time to write and post!

Review! Or I shall sic Ace the Bathound on all you kitty lovers!

Until next time...


	6. The Dangers of Gotham's Streets at Night

You should all thank Nightwing for this! LOL, even though I have the whole thing storyboarded out, I sort of lost my inspiration for writing this one. Then we got this cute little black kitten, and I named him Nightwing, and then -BAM- instant inspiration!

Shout outs to: RockyLover, DoggieFanNumber1, RandomKitty101, DixieGrayson, Stronger123, BrightPath2, Lindz4567, TheTrollWonder (love that user name), Hezpeller! Due to the large amount of reviewers, I am baking one GIANT cyber cookie for you all! So enjoy! (::)

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ENJOY!

* * *

They had been walking for several minutes when they ran into a new snag. They were in a relatively dark back alley when a sudden hissing growl stopped them cold.

From out of a restaurant dumpster jumped a massive tom cat, dull gold eyes glaring at them.

His coat was a ratty mouse brown affair, looking like he was in need of a good grooming but didn't really care one way or another. Scars from previous fights adorned his pelt, and his left ear had been shredded.

He turned his side to them, hissing and spitting in warning as his hackles rose. He'd run these youngsters off, then return to finish his meal in the dumpster in peace.

The teens stopped, unsure of exactly what to do. The tom cat was huge, and very obviously an experienced fighter. Given their recent defeat at Teekl's paws, they weren't as confident as they might've been.

Robin studied the cat a moment, then silently stepped forward.

Vivid sapphire eyes seemed to burn into the dull gold of the tom cat. He adopted a similar pose, presenting his side to massive cat. His hackles rose and he pinned his ears back, releasing the warning yowls he'd heard Cat Woman's cats use.

The tom cat paused, and Robin threw the extra effort into his performance.

He suddenly moved towards the cat in the half hop, half dance like steps he'd seen other cats employ, being careful to keep his side facing the cat to make himself look bigger than he actually was. The tom stumbled back a couple steps, startled by this show of aggression from such a small young cat.

The team starred in shock.

Robin continued to hiss and spit, dancing forward and away from the cat, even daring to take a couple swipes at the offender who had _dared_ threaten his friends.

And he _had_ to think of it that way, not as some random stray, but as a genuine threat to himself and his friends. Because, as he had learned during his days as a Flying Grayson in Haley's Circus, kids and animals could always tell when you weren't sincere.

The cat laid his ears back, arching his back as much as he could and spitting viciously in an attempt to frighten this little cat. Just like Robin, he danced forward, venturing to take a swipe at the annoying little black cat. His claws never touched the little interloper, and that black kitten advanced on him again.

Then that little kitten wasn't alone anymore.

Kaldur finally seemed to break free of the paralysis shock had trapped him in. He moved forward to stand by Robin and carefully mimicked the pose, presenting his side to the alleycat and arching his back. He wasn't entirely sure how Robin was making his fur stand up, but he did his best to look threatening.

Wally came up on Robin's other side, Conner and M'Gann right behind him. Together, they all took up their youngest's threatening posture, hissing and spitting in warning at the ally cat.

The mangy tom took a step back, bewildered by the sudden turn of events.

One minute he'd been faced simply with a kitten, now he was up against the whole litter! He slowly backed away, he didn't like the look and sound of these cats, something was off. They didn't act or sound like your run of the mill stray cats. Only a fool took on the unknown. And this tom was no fool. The minute he judged himself to be a safe distance away, he turned and fled.

The team visibly relaxed.

Then Wally batted at Robin's ear. "What did you think you were doing? That cat was three time's your size!"

Robin rolled his eyes. "So're half the villains in Gotham, but that's never stopped me before."

Conner shook his head. "I don't get it. What exactly was it we did just now? And why did he all of a sudden just back off?"

Robin grinned. "A lot of the animal kingdom is a show Conner. A performance. Your goal is to trick you opponent into thinking that you're bigger and meaner than they are. Cats put on a show like that for other reasons, but that was the reason for this one. He wasn't sure what to make of me when I didn't back off, when faced with the whole team he decided to make tracks!"

Kaldur nodded. "Indeed, many fish perform in a similar manner by expanding their fins and opening their jaws to expose their teeth."

He gazed thoughtfully after the vanished tom. "It seems we would do well to learn more of the lessons the animal kingdom has to teach us…"

* * *

"Kitty!"

The teens never knew what hit them. One minute they'd been walking along a dark alley, the next there was a scruffy little kid in amongst them making a grab for them. They followed their instincts, scattering. Unfortunately, they weren't all quite fast enough…

"Dude, she got Kaldur!" Wally mewed.

The others peeked out from their hiding places. Indeed, Wally spoke the truth. The little girl was standing there in the middle of the deserted sidewalk, hugging the bemused young cat to her chest for all she was worth.

Poor Kaldur didn't appear entirely sure what to do. The little girl's arms were wrapped around him just under his front legs, leaving the rest of his body to dangle down her front.

Wally suddenly burst into laughter. "Oh my gosh, where is a _camera_ when you _need _it? This would be totally epic blackmail!"

The little girl suddenly turned and toddled back towards a crumby old dumpster turned on it's side. "Mommy! Mommy! Look what I found!"

The cats were quick to follow.

Peering into the dumpster, they found themselves face to face with one of Gotham's many homeless. The woman was wrapped in a bundle of scrappy old blankets, reading by the light of a beat up old camping lantern that had seen better days.

Oblivious to the horrified look on her mother's face, the little girl toddled right up, thumped down on the floor and held up Kaldur for her mother's inspection. "See Mommy? Isn't she pretty? I'm going to call her Miss Twinkly Sparkle Fur!"

Kaldur nearly choked, and it had absolutely _nothing _to do with the fact that the girls hands around his rib cage were a little tighter than they should've been.

Outside, his friends were dying of laughter.

The girl's mother starred at her. "You were supposed to go to the bathroom and come right back…" she sighed and shook her head. "Miss Tinkly what now?" she asked.

"Miss Twinkly Sparkle Fur." The girl answered proudly. "I'm going to go out and find some glitter tomorrow and put it in her fur so she can sparkle, 'cause she _wants_ to! And I'll tie a big pink bow around her neck. She'll like that, won't you Miss Twinkly?"

Kaldur gave a loud mew of protest.

He didn't want to use his claws and hurt the girl. Nor did he want to bite her. But at the same time, he most _definitely_ wasn't going to spend the rest of his life in the form of a cat so this little girl could tie a bow around his neck and put _sparkles_ in his fur!

The mother reached out and caught hold of one of Kaldur's hind legs and pulled a little to one side. "Um…Dahlia dear, I'm afraid that name's not going to work…"

Dahlia cocked her head curiously. "But she likes her name!"

The mother gave a patient sigh. "I'm sure dear. But it's just not fitting."

Dahlia looked completely confused now. If the cat liked it, why wasn't the name Miss Twinkly Sparkle Fur a good name? "Why not?"

Her mother gave an amused, but still somehow sympathetic smile. "It's not that it's a _bad _name Dahlia, there's nothing wrong with Miss Twinkly Sparkle Fur. It's just that this cat is a boy. He needs a _boy_'s name."

"Oh…" Dahlia looked thoughtfully down at her new pet.

In her arms, Kaldur was mortified. He knew if he'd been in the correct form he'd have been blushing furiously. That woman had just grabbed his leg and _looked_ at…

For lack of some better way to express his mortification he flicked his ears back, his tail nervously twitching in his unease. A snickering sound caught his ear and he just glimpsed his friends peering through the cracks in the door. He couldn't decide whether he was more annoyed with them for not helping him, or for the fact that they were _laughing_ at his predicament.

Dahlia meanwhile had come to a decision. "His name is _Mr._ Twinkly Sparkle Fur." She stated, proudly hugging 'Mr. Twinkly' close.

Her mother sighed, tiredly rubbing her eyes. "Why don't you just name him Bootylicious and be done with it…?" she muttered under her breath.

Dahlia apparently heard her. "Bootylicious?" she seemed to think about it for a minute then grinned. "I like it! What's it mean Mommy?"

Ok, now Kaldur was _definitely_ choking. And again, it had absolutely _nothing_ to do with the little girl's grip on his ribcage.

He hadn't thought it was feasible for a cat to blush, but now it seemed completely possible. His face felt like it was on fire, and he was certain that if it was possible to die of embarrassment then he was only minutes away from complete cardiac arrest.

Outside, the team was again dying of laughter. If they went much longer without oxygen they were going to start losing brain cells.

"Need….Camera!" Wally gasped between fits of laughter. "Or…better yet…a _video_ camera!"

Robin swatted helplessly at Wally's foreleg, sprawled out on the concrete for lack of legs capable of supporting him. "D-Definitely!"

Conner was laying beside him, both paws draped over his muzzle in an attempt to muffle his laughter. The clone had chosen to lay down rather than fall over.

M'Gann wasn't in much better shape.

Inside, Kaldur had just about had enough. Remembering how when they had fought Teekle and they had neglected to use their claws, and had had no effect, he chose to learn from their past mistakes.

The Siamese patterned cat kicked out with his hind feet, squirming and struggling against Dahlia's embrace. When the little girl refused to relinquish her hold, he twisted in her hands to bat at her face with velvet paws. He didn't want to hurt her, just surprise her. That got more of response.

Dahlia held him out away from her, giving him a reproving look. "Bad! Bad Bootylicious!"

Laughing, the mother reached out and carefully took the struggling cat from her daughter, glad of the distraction. "Honey, I don't think…" she gave a choked sort of laugh. "..I don't think Bootylicious wants to be held." She carefully cradled Kaldur in her arms, holding him with the ease and firmness of long practice. She'd obviously handled cats many times before.

She chuckled, gently working at the back of Kaldur's neck in a soothing sort of massage gesture. The former Atlantian had to admit it _did_ feel good.

"Interesting markings." She mused, gently tracing his eel tattoos along his shoulders and down one foreleg. The mother caught hold of one of his front paws. Pressing a finger up into his paw pads while pushing down on the top with her thumb, she gently forced his claws to extend. She shook her head. He wasn't declawed. He could very well have scratched her daughter if he'd wanted to.

"Well, I'll say one thing for little Mr. 'Bootylicious' here."

Dahlia giggled. "What's that Mommy?"

The mother lightly tapped the tip of Kaldur's nose with her finger. "He's certainly well mannered."

Kaldur stopped squirming and gave her a look.

Of course he was well mannered! He absolutely_ refused_ to disgrace his king in such a manner! And why was she surprised? What soldier of Atlantis would harm a child? He sighed resignedly and relaxed into her hold.

"If it is not too much trouble, could you _please_ put me down?" he mewed up at her.

The mother looked down at the forlorn and utterly embarrassed cat in her arms. She hadn't understood a word, or meow, of it. But the poor dear sounded absolutely miserable. A slight smile touched her lips.

"It's time for bed Dahlia. Why don't you put… Bootylicious, back outside?" she laughed, carefully handing the young tom cat back to her daughter.

Dahlia promptly dropped Kaldur's lower body, allowing him to dangle from her arms the way he had before. "But Mommy, Bootylicious wants to sleep with _me_…"

"If he wants to stay baby, that's fine." Her mother answered gently. "But you have to let _him_ make that choice. You never know he might have a family somewhere, just waiting for him to come home."

Dahlia gave her a wide eyed look. "You mean Bootylicious might be a daddy kitty?" she asked. The idea obviously hadn't occurred to her before.

Her mother silently nodded.

After a few moments thought, Dahlia nodded and toddled over to the door of the overturned dumpster. "Ok Mommy." She pushed the door open just enough and carefully set Kaldur on the concrete outside.

The other cats had very wisely moved out of her line of sight.

Dahlia gave a sad little smile and waved at him. "Bye bye Bootylicious. You go home to your momma kitty and all your little kittens." She called, before letting the door fall closed behind her.

Kaldur stood there gazing at the door for a moment, then went to look for his teammates.

He found them hiding behind a metal garbage can just across the alleyway from the dumpster. His calm grey eyes narrowed a little as he peered into the darkness at his snickering teammates. "Would it have been too much to ask, for a _small_ amount of assistance?" he asked dryly.

"Sorry Kaldur." Conner answered. The poor clone did sound genuinely contrite, as did M'Gann.

Kaldur sighed, shaking his head at the still snickering Wally and Robin. "Come." He said firmly, turning away and heading in the direction Robin had been leading them in before. "We still have some distance yet to go I believe."

"Whatever you say…" Wally chuckled as he and the others followed their leader. "…Bootylicious…"

Kaldur sighed. This was going to be a _long_ night.

Robin had come up beside him and now took the lead again. Apparently having heard Kaldur's sigh, he glanced back over his shoulder, his whiskers pulled back in a cat grin. "…yeah, you're _never_ going to live that down…!"

* * *

Robin suddenly froze.

Having not been paying attention, Wally ran into the smaller cat's hindquarters. "Ooph! Rob what…?" he trailed off. "Rob? What's up?"

The small black cat looked back at the orange tabby. "Batman's on the streets."

The others stared at him, and Wally's jaw actually dropped. "You can tell?"

Robin nodded. "Come on, if we hurry we can intercept him." He took off down a side street. "Hurry!" The others were quick to follow him. He led them unswervingly down that side street, coming out in an empty street.

And sitting there on the side of that empty street in front of them, was the Bat Mobile.

Conner shook his head, stunned. "How'd you know it was here?"

"The engine's still running." Robin answered, walking around the car. "I could hear it all the way down the street. I'd know that quiet rumble anywhere. Don't worry, he'll be back soon."

As if to punctuate his statement, the sound of breaking glass came from an alley up the street. A minute later, an engine roared to life and a car came flying out of the alley. The car, obviously a getaway car, turned down the street. It was fishtailing all over the road as it thundered down on them.

"Robin look out!" M'Gann screeched.

The small black cat had moved farther out into the street, the better to see what was going on. With a car careening down the street at him at ninety miles an hour, there was no time for the former boy wonder to move out of the way. And with the way that car was fishtailing, there was no guarantee that the tires would miss him if he hunkered down and stayed put.

So he did what the dark knight had trained him to do.

His friends watched from the sidelines, mouths hanging open in shock, as the coal black kitten ran right at that car. Robin took a flying leap and hit the hood running. Up and over the top of the car, down the back, across the trunk and off the car he went. He stumbled as he hit the ground behind the car, but overall, it could've been a whole lot worse.

"Rob, you alright?" Wally yelled as he ran up, the others close behind.

"Don't leave the car!" Robin yelled back.

The Bat Mobile suddenly revved to life. Before any of the cats could react, the jet black car had pulled a U-turn and took off after the getaway car. They silently watched as the Bat Mobile's red tail lights disappeared around the corner, the deep throated rumble of the engine fading into the night.

They all collectively heaved a sigh.

"So much for that." Conner grumbled. Looking to their little bird, he added, "You ok?"

Robin nodded. "My landing was off. My wrist is a little sore, but I'll be ok. We don't have much farther to go."

M'Gann nuzzled her youngest teammate sympathetically. "How much farther do we have to go?"

The black kitten gave her a smile. "One more block."

Noting the expressions of disappointment on his friends faces from having missed the Batman, Wally put a bit more bounce into his step in an effort to cheer them up.

"Come on guys, buck up!" He laughed, flicking his tail teasingly at them. "So what if we missed the Batman? You all heard Rob, we've only got a block to go. We're _that_ close to our goal! No way can things get any worse."

Down the street, several dark shapes emerged from an alleyway.

For a moment they milled about, then one seemed to catch sight of the young cats. A chorus of yips, howls, and barks tore through the still night air as those dark shapes raced up the street toward them.

Robin heaved a sigh, his ears and tail drooping tiredly. "You just had to say it…"

* * *

Rofl, of course he did Robin. Someone's _always_ got to say it! Next chapter will feature the meeting of Artemis and our intrepid little kittens as per your (numerous) requests.

Review!

Until next time...


	7. Chase Scenes

Yay! Just one more story to update and I'll have updated all my currently in progress stories!

Shout outs to the awesometastic: Brightpath2, Randomkitty101, lindz4567, DixieGrayson, BraveChicken, IAmFlashGirl, Evening Raven, Stronger123, Hezpeller, Ally Marton, SevenSilences, Yuu101cutie, arrowflash,b00kw0rms, and Guests! Cookies to all of you!

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ENJOY!

* * *

Conner turned sideways, arching his back and bottle brushing his tail.

Wally shook his head, shoving Conner up the street. "That isn't gonna work this time supey, they're out for blood!"

Kaldur nodded, he really didn't think they were going to intimidate these dogs either. "Run." He ordered.

No one argued with him.

The five cats took off up the street, Robin shouting directions to them as they ran. The dogs were hot on their tails as they rounded the corner, and it was only then that they were abruptly reminded of Robin's injury.

The small black and white cat yowled as the injured wrist turned, nearly sending him stumbling headlong across the sidewalk and into the street. He managed to catch himself and kept running, but he was limping.

"Kaldur, Robin can't keep up like this!" M'Gann yelled.

Kaldur looked over his shoulder at the dogs. The dark, filthy shapes were gaining on them. He shook his head. "We cannot slow, the dogs are gaining ground."

"I'm fine." Robin panted. Nodding ahead of them, he added. "And we're nearly there. See that building?" the others nodded. "That's the one we want. Cut right into the alley. There should be some old garbage cans in there. Get on top of those."

His friends didn't argue.

They turned right into the alley way as soon as they came to it. After precious seconds had ticked by while their eyes adjusted, they were disappointed to see that the garbage cans he had mentioned were the relatively short plastic kind.

"Dude, what are you thinking? Those dogs'll bowl these things right over!" Wally yowled.

"Just follow me!" Robin yowled back. He quickly jumped up onto one of the garbage cans, racing across the lids and making a flying leap for the dumpster on the end. From there, the small black kitten took another massive leap, this time making for the lowered ladder of the fire escape.

He missed it.

Kaldur shook his head. He could hear the dogs entering the alleyway, but he paid them no mind as he landed on the dumpster. The rest of his team was ahead of them, and this dumpster was quite tall. They would be safe for the time being.

"Robin, climb upon my shoulders."

The former boy wonder nodded, hurriedly scrambling up onto his leaders back. Once he was in position, Kaldur leapt. At the apex of his jump, Robin pushed off against Kaldur. This time he managed to snag the lowest rung, throwing both forelegs over it. His friends watched fearfully from below as he swung precariously there.

Robin looked down at the others. "Do you guys think you can jump high enough to reach?"

"Won't know until you move." Wally called back. "But we're all willing to give it a try."

Robin nodded. Utilizing his training as an acrobat, he slowly pulled himself up. It was weird trying to apply what he knew to the body of a cat, but somehow he managed. He scooted along the narrow pipe to the vertical side bar and slowly rose to his feet. It took time, but somehow he managed to make it up the rungs to the fire escape landing.

The others didn't do quite as well.

Though bigger, and more easily able to reach the rungs, that also meant that there was a whole lot more to balance on the ladder's narrow pipes. There were several instances where one or another almost fell. But they didn't dare fall. It was a long drop back to the dumpster, and one of the dogs had managed to get up on top of said dumpster. The ratty looking dog was currently taking flying leaps in an attempt to get one of the cats on the ladder.

Robin gave a shaky laugh as he and Kaldur hauled Conner, the last cat to make it, up onto the fire escape landing. "You did it. I wasn't sure you'd be able to…"

Wally looked up indignantly from his place on the floor of the landing, where he'd flopped, exhausted from his climb. "Now who's…the one with… little faith?" he panted. Looking up the fire escape, he added "So which…floor does… this friend of …yours live on?"

Robin was already limping his way toward the stairs. "Third."

Wally groaned. "…fantastic…"

M'Gann giggled. "Come on Wally, no pain no gain." She lightly teased.

The orange tabby gave her a look, but after a little more coaxing from Kaldur he grudgingly rolled to his feet and started up the stairs after the rest of his friends.

"Whoever this Crock lady is, she better be one heck of a friend…" he grumbled.

* * *

"Oh good, she left her window open a little."

Wally eyed Robin. "Dude, exactly how often do you come here? Only idiots or friends of the bats would leave their windows open in Gotham."

Robin shook his head. "She's more my friend than Batman's." he answered absentmindedly as he slid under the window. "And as far as she knows, I've never been here."

"How often _have_ you been here?" Conner asked.

Robin pulled his legs through and stood, looking back through the window at his friends. "Just once." He answered. "After I found out her address, I made a point of coming here in secret on patrol so I'd know where to find her house if I needed to."

M'Gann was the next one to squirm under the window. "Why in secret? Didn't she give you the address?"

Robin shook his head. "No. I found it myself."

Wally gave his friend a look and started to squirm through after M'Gann. "So: you hack her address, visit her house in the middle of the night…" He took stock of the room Robin had led them into and his eyes widened. "And you lead us into her little kid's bedroom! Dude, do you realize how much you look like a creeper right now?"

"Maybe." Robin cocked his head. "What makes you think this is a little kid's room?"

Wally moved out of the way to let Conner through the window and gestured at one wall with his paw.

Robin snorted. "One 'Alice in Wonderland' poster and you automatically assume this is a little kid's bedroom." He shook his head. "This room actually belongs to a teenager. The poster was her sister's, and she never took it down after she left."

Kaldur scrambled through after Conner. The clone had raised the window a little in his struggle to get through, making it easier for his leader. "Then let us be swift in finding Mrs. Crock. And let us be quiet, we do not wish to wake her daughter."

The boy wonder gave a soft laugh, padding across the bedside table towards the occupied bed. He wasn't limping as much now, but his friends suspected that was probably an act of will. "Keep quiet." He agreed. "But it's the daughter we want, not the mother. The mother's had a couple talk's with Batman, but I've never met her. I know the daughter though. She's traught." The little cat gestured at the bed. "Come on. I'm gonna need your help. After a night like the one she had tonight she's going to be hard to wake."

One by one, the young cats took the small leap from the bedside table to the bed. The bed's occupant groaned and rolled over at being jostled, but she didn't wake.

Wally made a face. He'd landed on the girl's pillow, and her long, thick gold hair was splayed all across her pillow. Wally lifted one of his feet, shaking it. The girl's hair had gotten tangled round his paws when he landed on her pillow, and he was doing his best to get out of her hair without pulling it.

The rest of the team waited patiently, snickering as they watched.

At last, the redheaded speedster managed to free himself from the gold locks. He shook his head. "That is a _lot_ of hair." He muttered.

Robin gave his friend a sly look. Pretending to be absentminded, he waved it off and answered, "Meh, just more hair to put one of those smelly shampoo's in."

"It didn't smell that bad actually, more like Kiwi or something…" Wally frowned, seeing his friend practically doubling over with laughter. Something was up the little bird's sleeve. He gave his friend a suspicious look. "What?"

"Just remember that comment." Robin sniggered. To the other's he whispered. "Ok, everybody jump on three." He waited for the others to nod an affirmative, then began to count. "One. Two. Three!"

All five cats jumped.

Despite Robin's prediction that she'd be hard to wake, the girl bolted upright with a startled yell, one hand flying out to hit Kaldur off the bed when she saw him move. Kaldur yowled in surprise, giving a quieter though no less heartfelt cry when he hit the floor several feet away. She froze, having apparently not expected that sort of noise.

She blinked owlishly in the dim light.

It took a couple moments for her eyes to adjust to the contrast of shadows and the moonlight through her window. The cat's held still, not wanting to startle her and suffer the same fate as the Atlantian currently picking himself up off the floor. After a long moment the girl cautiously reached out, carefully petting M'Gann.

"She a cat lover?" Wally asked, squinting up into the gloom to try and see the girl's face. The moonlight streaming through the window behind her wasn't helping, as it cast her into silhouette.

"Heh, not really…" Robin answered. "Which is why we need to make her understand as quickly as possible."

Wally grinned. "Just watch me work. I'll mellow her out. You start comin' up with a way to get it across to her." He sauntered forward to rub against the girl's hand, arching his back under her touch and rubbing his head against her. He'd never purred before but it wasn't hard to figure it out.

The girl groaned and pulled her hand away to rub tiredly at her face. Wally stopped. Her voice sounded familiar…

Then the girl spoke.

"…How on earth did _cats_ get in my room?"

Wally starred up at the girl in shock.

He could see her clearly now, she'd leaned forward into the moonlight from the window. The eyes, the olive skin, the shape of the face: all the same. He'd never seen her with her hair down out of that customary ponytail of hers, and that had thrown him. He actually had to admit that he was impressed with how long that hair was. No wonder she always kept it pulled back.

Impossible as it seemed, there was no doubt that this was her.

"Artemis?" he exclaimed. "Artemis lives here?" Hearing Robin snickering, he turned baleful emerald eyes on the little black and white kitten. "You knew! All this time you knew _exactly_ who lived here!"

Robin snickered even harder, though no louder. "Well yeah! It wouldn't make much sense to try and get help from someone I don't know."

"You…" Wally started again, only to be cut off as Artemis scooped the orange tabby up and held him up in front of her face. Wally flicked his ears back, tail flicking in irritation as he gave her a decidedly dirty look. "What are you looking at?" he meowed, loud and obnoxious.

Artemis made a face. "God you're a noisy one." She muttered. "You need to be quiet, or Mom's gonna find you."

Robin laughed. To Conner and M'Gann he said, "Man! After all their arguments you'd think she'd know better than that. Wally's never quiet."

Wally squirmed around in Artemis's arms. "Hey! I can be quiet when I want to be!" he yowled, completely blowing the validity of his own statement. "And I still wanna know how you found out about Artemis…or whatever her real name is…"

"Shut up." Artemis growled. Tucking Wally under one arm, she leaned over and fished in the drawer of her bedside table. After a moment, she pulled out a decently sized rubber band. "This should do the trick." She muttered.

"What are you going to do with that?" Wally asked, cocking his head.

Artemis wasted no time in answering the question she hadn't understood. It was the work of a few seconds. She deftly looped the rubber band around his muzzle twice before flipping what was left over his head behind his ears, effectively muzzling him.

Robin cackled, earning a glare from Wally. "Dude! She finally found a way to shut you up!"

Lightly tapping his nose when he tried to get it off she growled, "You leave that right where it is or I'll use you for target practice. If my Mom hears you guys, you and I are _both_ done for. I don't know how you cats got in, but I'm kicking you back out."

From his place on the floor, Kaldur called grimly, "Scatter. Find a means of making her understand."

The cats obeyed without question.

Artemis swore explosively as Wally squirmed out of her hands to join the other young cats, who were scattering like roaches when the lights come on. "Oh no you don't!"

What followed next would fondly be described as the 'epic chase scene' in later retellings of the tale.

It was only after Artemis fished Robin down off a bookshelf and pulled M'Gann out of the closet that she realized she could only fit so many cats in her arms. After she caught Conner, she discovered that trying to hold a third one made it all the easier for two, if not all three, to squirm out of her arms and start the chase anew.

And all the while, the young cats were desperately trying to come up with some way to get her to understand.

"Hey you, don't shred my laces!" Artemis hissed in quiet amusement, pulling her sneaker away from M'Gann, who was trying to arrange the laces into a cursive 'A' for Artemis.

"Stop chewing on my pencil." She said, when Conner tried to write on a sticky note with the shortest pencil in her pencil cup. His handwriting, or mouthwriting as the case may be, was incredibly poor. The fact that he was rushing didn't help.

"Leave my phone alone." She admonished when Robin tried to type out a text message for her. The time it had taken to learn the layout of her phone had cost him, and he hadn't made it past the 'H' 'E' for 'help'.

"You leave that right where it is!" she nearly yelled when Wally tried to take his makeshift muzzle off yet again. It was clear that she was beginning to get irritated with her late night visitors.

"You!" She pointed an accusing finger at Kaldur, who had climbed up on her shelves. The former Atlantian was currently crouched behind a set of framed photographs. "If you knock those over and break them, I _will_ feed you to my neighbors dog. And believe, he's a cat hater, so he'll let me do it."

Wally cocked his head. **_Why is everyone a cat hater?_** He wondered.

She reached up to get Kaldur down, and the Atlantian did the last thing anyone would've expected. The cat arched his back, puffed up his fur, laid his ears back and hissed.

Artemis pulled her hands back, startled. She hadn't handled this particular cat yet but he hadn't seemed antisocial before. Granted, she'd also smacked him off her bed, but that was beside the point. Cat's didn't hold grudges… did they?

"What's your problem?" she growled, putting her hands on her hips.

"Artemis." Kaldur mewed. "Please try to understand." He turned his head to look at the large picture frame he had taken refuge behind.

It was a picture of the team on one of their beach days. In order to make the picture look legitimate M'Gann had changed her skin and hair color to become 'Megan Morse', but other than that the picture was a pretty accurate depiction of them.

M'Gann had also been taking the picture telekinetically if memory served.

He cautiously slipped out from behind the photo, hissing at Artemis when she tried to grab him again. The minute she moved her hands away, he made a point of dropping all threatening behavior. He didn't want her to be afraid of him, but hissing seemed to be the only way to convey the fact that he didn't want her to touch him.

He looking to her imploringly. "_Please_ Artemis. Try to _understand_." Looking at the picture, he pawed at the image of himself, trying to get the point across.

Hands suddenly wrapped around his ribcage and he found himself held close to a girl's body for the second time that evening. The difference being that this time, A) half his body wasn't dangling. B) He didn't get the impression he was going to suffocate. And C) this time the goal was to restrain him, not cuddle him.

"Not so tough now are you?" Artemis gloated, holding him firmly. Considering the posturing the cat had done, she was surprised by the lack of struggle. "All bark and no bite." She said with a smirk.

Kaldur wiggled one arm free and set his paw on top of her hand, making his eel tattoos as visible as possible. He looked up at her imploringly.

Artemis wasn't paying attention. "I need a box." She muttered, walking over to her closet and fishing one out. Moving to put Kaldur in it she added, "Since there's five of you, and I can't seem to hold more than two or three at a time…" she trailed off, her eyes growing wider and wider as she stared at the dark markings in the fur of the cat in the box.

"I think she's getting it!" M'Gann meowed excitedly. The others nodded, slowly coming back together from the various corners of the room they had scattered to.

Artemis slowly traced the eel tattoos along Kaldur's forelegs. Kaldur let her, holding absolutely still. They were so close to making her understand.

"…Kaldur?" Artemis asked. The Atlantian calmly nodded, and Artemis sat down heavily. "You're Kaldur…" she murmured, not noticing the other cats quietly gathering around. Kaldur nodded again. "You're Kaldur." She repeated.

"Is it that hard to believe?" Conner asked.

Artemis looked down, drawn by Conner's meow. "If you're Kaldur…then that means…" The young cats nodded excitedly. Artemis shook her head. "Holy cow…"

"Meh, I think 'Holy cats' would be more appropriate." Robin answered, earning a roll of the eyes from a still muzzled Wally.

Artemis slowly pointed. "So he's Kaldur. I'm guessing you're M'Gann?" The female tabby meowed a yes and nodded, bouncing excitedly. "So… you're Robin?" Conner shook his head, pointing at the boy wonder. "_That _one's Robin, so you're Conner then." The clone nodded. "Then that means…"

Artemis turned to look at the bright orange tabby and released a most un-Artemis-like giggle.

Wally was very clearly sulking. Sitting there by himself, his ears were flicked back, his emerald eyes narrowed, and his tail was violently lashing the floor.

"You know kid dork, if I didn't know it was you in there I'd say you're cute when you're mad." She said, pulling the rubber band muzzle off his head and slipping it on her wrist.

"I'll show _you_ who's _cute_!" Wally huffed indignantly.

Artemis sighed. Standing, she lifted Kaldur up out of the box and made her way back to her bed. Gabbing her phone off the nightstand, she checked the time. "So. Someone wanna explain why the five of you are in my bedroom at two o clock in the morning? And in the shape of cats no less?"

"It's two o clock?" M'Gann asked, eyes wide.

The young cats had climbed her blankets to get back up on her bed and were now sitting in a semi circle facing her. They now looked at each other, wondering how on earth they were going to tell her their story.

"It would seem we did not entirely think this plan through." Kaldur mewed up at Artemis. "We have no way of communicating to you."

"If she'd let us at her phone again we could type out what we wanted to say." Robin offered.

"Or if she'd lend us a bag or two of Scrabble tiles." Wally offered sullenly, still apparently sulking. "Or maybe some of those wooden 'ABC' blocks people give to little kids."

Artemis frowned. "You… can't talk anymore, can you?" The others shook their heads. "M'Gann? What about the psychic link?" They mournfully shook their heads again and she groaned, flopping down on her bed. The kittens gave startled yowls as her actions caused them to bounce. "Sorry guys." She murmured.

"Not as sorry as you are going to be." A stern voice answered.

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Lol, three guesses who the stern voice is! Artemis is so busted!

Review!

Until next time...


	8. Testing

Hey guys I'm back!

Shout outs to the oh so whelming: Bravechicken, randomkitty101, , EveningRaven, Brightpath2, Monzepelmoon, SevenSilences, arrowflash (to the fourth power apparently, lol), Dixie Grayson, Hidden-Shadow-of-Me, Broken Antler in Winter, xXArgentXx, and Ravenclaw125. Cookies to you and milk since it's a kitty story and you guys are that awesome! (::) Ll

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ENJOY!

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"I have told you time and again Artemis, we cannot have pets in this apartment."

Artemis sighed, absentmindedly reaching out to stroke Robin's fur. The cat leaned into her hand, purring reassuringly. They were in the tiny kitchen of the Crock's little apartment. Paula had made hot tea and both women were now nursing a mug of their preferred favorite.

Paula had apparently heard the muffled ruckus of the 'chase scene' in Artemis room and had gone to investigate for fear that her daughter was in trouble. She'd even brought along a small revolver.

She had been less than pleased to see the cats.

All five cats had been gathered up in a cardboard box and carried into the kitchen where Artemis had calmly released them onto the kitchen table, much to her mother's chagrin. But as the cats had all elected to behave, politely settling down and remaining on the table, Paula had decided to let it alone for now.

"Not that I ever pictured myself doing this or anything, but if I ever pictured myself meeting Artemis's mom, this is totally _not_ how I would've imagined it going." Wally mewed, nervously flicking his tail.

Artemis shot him a dirty look that clearly said 'shut up right now or else'. "Will you _please_ let me explain?" She asked her mother.

Paula arched an eyebrow at her daughter. "This I can't wait to hear." She murmured, taking a sip of her tea.

Artemis didn't even bat an eyelash. "My teammates somehow got changed into cats tonight and by some inconceivable means they found their way into my room looking for help."

Paula slowly set her cup of tea down on the table.

"When I became a mother, people warned me children tell 'tall tales'. That is by far the _tallest_ I can ever remember you telling." She gestured at the cats. "While they are admittedly well behaved for cats, you cannot expect me to believe that these are the teammates you have told me so much about."

"Wait, you talk about us?" Wally asked, looking up at Artemis in surprise.

Artemis glared at him. "Wally, I don't know what the heck you just said. I'm trying to talk to my mom here, so you either zip the lip or I'm digging out the rubber bands again." Wally looked away, tail angrily flicking as he went back to sulking. Artemis continued talking to her mother, who was now looking at her daughter with a hint of doubt as she reconsidered Artemis's claims about her teammates.

"I know it's hard to swallow, but I _know_ it's them." Artemis went on. "Come here a second Kaldur." The Atlantian rose and gracefully made his way across the table to her. She traced the black markings in his fur. "Kaldur'ahm's tattoos are sorcerer's tattoos." She explained, drawing on a half remembered conversation for explanation. "Whatever changed them into cats, the magic in his tattoos resisted it."

Paula sighed. "I'll admit the markings are odd Artemis. But it is simply not possible…"

"Then test them for yourself!" Artemis exploded. Gesturing at the cats she said, "Go on! Ask them to do something a cat would _never_ do without prior training."

Paula eyed her daughter. "Such as?"

Artemis gave a helpless gesture. "I don't know… Ask them yes or no questions with one meow for yes's and two for no's. Ask them to put a kids puzzle together. Or find a specific page in a book. Just… something a cat wouldn't _do_."

Paula was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Alright." She quietly wheeled herself over to a cupboard, pulled a box and a plastic jar out of it and returned to the table with them. She emptied the bright yellow and white box and the clear plastic jar out on the table, leaving a pile of white cubes and a smaller pile of silver cubes on the tabletop.

"My challenge is to stack these up into a pyramid. _Without _eating them." She stated calmly, addressing herself directly to the cats. She gestured at the pile of sugar and buillon cubes. "Please begin."

The cats looked at each other and nodded.

"Think she wants a four sided pyramid or a three sided one?" Wally asked absentmindedly, pawing at the cubes. "She didn't really specify."

"Considering that most people don't even know that there _are_ three sided ones KF, I think it's safe to assume she wants a four sided one." Robin answered. "M'Gann, count those out for me will ya?"

"What are these?" Conner asked, nosing some of the cubes over to the ones his friends were starting to arrange.

"The white one's are sugar cubes." Wally answered, pawing another one into place. "The others are bouillon cubes." Giving an appreciative sniff, he added "Beef from smell of it."

"There are 26 of the white ones, 9 of the silver foil ones." M'Gann reported.

Wally grinned at Robin. "Perfect. If we alternate sugar and bullion, we can get five by five on the bottom, three by three in the middle with one left over for the cap."

The bird nodded. "Shame she said no eating though." He teased, sitting back on his haunches to carefully set a bouillon cube on top of their square of sugar. "We all know how much you like sugar."

Wally gave him a dirty look. A tired look, but a dirty one nonetheless. "Rob, I've already had the rough night hell crapped out. Don't remind me when I can't have sweets."

The boy wonder only snickered in response.

The cats soon had a three tiered four sided pyramid, the top and bottom rows made of sugar cubes while the middle row was made of the silver bouillon cubes. Paula stared at the cats, unable to believe what she had just seen. After a long moment, she sat back in her wheelchair with a sigh and picked up her cup once more.

"Alright Artemis. I believe you." She set her cup down, reaching out to pet the little black and white kitten. "Let me guess. Robin?" the boy wonder mewed his concurrence, nodding his head to make sure she understood. Pointing at the others, she added, racking her brains, "Miss Martian, Superboy, Aqualad, and Kid Flash, correct?"

"Not bad." Conner muttered.

"I'll say!" Wally looked up at Artemis. "Exactly how much do you tell her anyways?"

Artemis gave him a look and purposefully removed the rubber band from her wrist. Wally hurriedly scrambled across the table out of her reach before laying down and putting his paws protectively over his muzzle. She gave a triumphant nod and returned the rubber band to her wrist.

"Right on the dot Mom." She answered.

Paula nodded. "So. What do you intend on doing now?"

Artemis shook her head. "I'm not sure Mom. I only put it together a couple minutes before you found us… I'm not even entirely sure what happened to them. Got any ideas?"

Paula nodded. "I would call one of the mentors." She advised.

Artemis nodded and rose, going to the nearby wall phone. "I'll give it a try. If I can't get through to Green Arrow though, I'm calling Zatanna."

Wally snickered. "She'll be lucky if Ollie doesn't accuse her of being drunk..."

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So...yep, back to play practice and homework... once I've finished some of my current stories, I'm thinking about branching out into some new fandoms. I've got a poll up, so don't feel afraid ta voice your opinion on which ones I should hit up!

Review!

Until next time...


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